Improvement in propelling- small boats



anatema me entre Letters Patent No. 96,404, daed November 2, 1869. v

IMPROVEMENT IN PROPELLING- SMALL BOTS.

The Schedule :eferredto in theselLetters Patent and making part oftheSame- To all whom it 'may concern.:

Be it known that lfvmcn. Dnnssnz, of the city of Leavenworth, in thecounty of Leavenworth, and State ot' Kansas, have invented new andimproved Machinery for Propelling.Smalll Boats; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,which will enable others skilled in the art to malte and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming pri-rt of thisspecification, in which- A,Figure 1 represents a side elevation, partlyin section, of my improved machine Afor propelling Small boat-s.

' Figure 2 is aver-tical transverse section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. l

Thisinvention relates to a new device for rotating,l

by muscular power, paddle-wheels, that are hung on flat-boats, or othersmall vessels, and consists in the application of an oscillating lever,which has a double set of pawls pivoted to it, to engageintoratchetwheels, mounted on the paddle-wheel shaft.

VVhen'the lever is swung on its pivot, the pawls will carry theratchet-wheels, and,l with them, the paddle.- wheels, around, so as topropel theboat.

The invention also consists in providing weights at the ends of thelever, and springs onY the ends of the boat, so that the deseendingendof the lever will strike a spring, and receive an impetus to start inthe'opposite direction.

A, in the drawing, represents a fiat-boat, or other small vessel, ofsuitable kind.

B is a 'transverse horizontal shaft, which has its bearings in the sidesof lhe boat, and which carries paddlewheels U, at its ends, as shown.

D'is a longitmlinal lever, secured at the middle to a cross-bar, E,which is, at its cnds,l1ung in uprights I F, that project from the sidesof the boat.

The lever can thus be swung on the bar E, which Serves as its pivot.

0n the shaft 1i are mounted two ratchet-wheels, a b, toothed in oppositedirections.

0n each side of the pivot E is hung, to the lever D, a pair of pawls, bc.

O ne pair of these pawls is thrown against one of the ratchet-wheels a,by means ofa spring, d, ou the bar,

When the same end of the lever is drawn down, the

other pawl b will act to move the axle B in the same direction.

lhus intermittent rotary motion is imparted to the shaft. 1

\Vhen the motion ofthe boat is to be reversed, the acting pawls arethrown out of gear, yand the other pair put in action on the otherratchet-wheel, whose teeth, standing in opposite directions,.will causethe rotation to be reversed. Y

',lo the ends ofthe lever D are secured weights fj, and on the ends ofthe boat are springs g g.

As a weighted end of the=lever comes down upon a spring, it is thrown upby the saine, and the reverse motion of the lever thereby started.

Two persons, one on each end ofthe boat, can most conveniently operaiethe lever, by alternately drawing its ends down; but one man can alone,withoutgreat difficulty, move the lever, and propel the boat.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by'Let-- ters Patent, is

l. The combination of a lever, D, fulcrumed at its centre, weighted ateach end, and vibrating upon an elevatedshaft, E, with reacting springsg, one or more pawls, b c, and one or more ratchet-wheels, (l, each ofsaid parts being arranged upon a boat, in the manner described.

2. The arrangement, upon the vibrating-lever D, of the spring e e, inthe position shown, and for the purpose set forth.

VIRGIL 'DRESSER Witnesses:

JOHN 000K, J osEPH 000K.

